I Like Records 42
Afternoon. A guy comes towards the back counter, stumbling and a little slackjawed. I wasn’t sure if he was on an afternoon drunk or slightly retarded or a combination of the two. As he got closer to the counter I smelled he was drunk:
Guy: Alright…Alright…Where’s the SALE!!
Me: What sale?
Guy: Yeah, that’s right…What Sale?!…Where is it?…I dunno…I don’t wanna pay twenny two dollars for the Allman…thology…of the…Allman….guys.
Me: What?!
Guy: Do you got Elton Johns first album
[Sean grabbed it from the Elton John section and gave it to the guy]
Guy: Yeah!…No…This isn’t it…You know what I’m lookin’ for………………………..
[uncomfortable silence as I wait for him to tell me, but I think he thinks I know what he’s looking for]
Me:………………..yeah….I don’t know what you’re looking for.
Guy: You know…………………his saddest song
Me:..mmmmm……Rocket Man?
Guy: No……..that’s sad but it ain’t his saddest…You know the song….It’s so sad that…people don’t even want to hear it…”I can see it very well”
Me: Can see WHAT very well?
Guy: That’s the song…or the words…or somethin’…I don’t know
[I look up the song]
Me: It’s on Madman Across the Water
Guy: Yesss!!
[EPILOGUE: we were out of stock of the CD]
ugh! 
by being out of stock you may have unknowingly saved captain-drinktastic from what would have been known as the “slack-jawed suicide.”
by the way – Welcome HOME!
and thanks for the road diary – i loved it.